The Takeaway: Would Hamas complicate US plans for reset with Palestinians? Also: the back story on the spat between Israel and Jordan; Gulf post-COVID economic trends; Turkey’s Kurds; Egypt and Somalia; and more! Originals
Egypt sentences activist Sanaa Seif to 18 months in prison Seif, who had been in pretrial detention since June, was convicted Wednesday of spreading false news and misusing social media. Egypt
Ukraine rejects Iran's final report on downed passenger plane The Iranian government said last year's shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was the result of a human error. Iran
Palestinians receive first batch of vaccines through COVAX More than 60,000 doses of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines arrived in Ramallah on Wednesday. Palestine
Will Obama push for Yemen cease-fire? The United States, which fired cruise missiles at rebel radar sites in Yemen on Oct. 13 after missiles were fired at a US warship, needs to push for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Yemen before things get even more out of hand. Legacy: Gulf
Will screenwriters boost Egypt's literary scene? Egyptian screenwriters are revisiting the practice of turning novels into films and TV series — and perhaps reviving an interest in literature in the process. Egypt
Why Iran’s banking shake-up won't be enough The first shake-up of Iran's banking sector in three decades is only the first step toward supporting the economy. Iran
Why Turks are ignoring Gulen-related suicides At least 17 people accused of links to Fethullah Gulen, the Muslim cleric Turkey blames for the July 15 coup attempt, have committed suicide. Turkey
Iranian eulogist in trouble for saying Imam Hussein used to swear A eulogist stirred strong reactions and possible legal consequences after a televised interview in which he described how Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, used to swear. Iran
How Gulenists played the Kurd card to gain academic influence Dicle University's reputation as an academic hub for the Gulenist movement made it one of the Turkish government's first targets after the abortive July 15 coup. Turkey
Turkey’s 'devout generation' project means lost jobs, schools for many The Justice and Development Party continues its purge of secular teachers from schools, further tacking toward the Islamization of Turkish public education and leaving thousands of teachers without jobs. Turkey
Why Israeli occupation of the West Bank is reversible New data shows that the settlements in the West Bank are not an irreversible situation, and that most of the population growth in settlements is due to births — not immigration of Israelis into the settlements. Palestine
Rouhani’s opponents take aim at concerts The continuing controversies surrounding the holding of concerts in Iran appear to have less to do with Islam and more to do with the country’s upcoming presidential vote. Iran
What's driving Palestinian attacks? When the wave of Palestinian violence broke out, most of the assailants were youngsters who believed that their acts would bring closer Palestinian statehood; but recent attacks seem motivated largely by religious beliefs. Palestine
Sudan FM 'confident' Ethiopia dam won’t harm Egypt In a wide-ranging interview, Sudan's foreign minister defends his country's actions on Darfur and said dialogue to further ease US economic sanctions on Sudan continues. Egypt
Where has Turkey's foreign direct investment gone? In the first half of this year, foreign direct investments in Turkey plummeted 54% compared to the same period last year. Turkey
